PATRIOTS HEAD COACH JEROD MAYO
PRESS CONFERENCE
October 9, 2024
JM: Good afternoon. The room's pretty packed. Just to start off, on Jabrill [Peppers], I just want to be clear that really any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us. As a team, no matter if you're a player, staff member, we're wholeheartedly against any type of domestic violence. I know the organization's position, which I fully support. With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to go through the system, has to continue to go through a due process, and we'll see how that works out. What I will say is that the league has put him on the exempt list, and that will give us time to really gather more information going forward. At this time, he is not in the building. He's not in the building, and we'll talk about that at a later time. As a father of three daughters, I definitely understand the seriousness of the allegations, and hopefully, they're not true. But we'll see. Like I said earlier, we'll go through that due process.
Q: You said he's not in the building today. I think on the Commissioner's exempt list, he's allowed to be with the team. Do you anticipate keeping him away or allowing him back at some point?
JM: I would say in the near term, he will not be in the building.
Q: Jerod, could you discuss your decision at quarterback and how you came to that decision?
JM: Yeah. I thought Jacoby [Brissett] – we say it all the time that it's all about competition, every single position. I would say, as a coach – and I know the organization feels this way – we're trying to win every game. At the time, we thought that Jacoby would give us the best opportunity to go out there and win games, protecting the football, really running the offense. With that being said, he was a warrior. As you guys know, he's taken a lot of hits and just kept getting up. I would also say, for a guy like that to be voted as a captain in this situation and continue to be very supportive of Drake Maye, I tip my hat to Jacoby for having that egoless mentality. Going forward, I think now, Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward. He's been getting better every single week, as I've said before. At the end of training camp, he actually was trending at a very high rate. That has continued through the early part of the season. So, it was solely my decision to make this choice. I had a conversation one-on-one with Jacoby. I had a conversation with Drake. We're all on board. I would also say Jacoby is a warrior, and he took the news very well, like a professional, like you would expect from a guy like that.
Q: Jerod, you said Drake is getting better. Now, there are two things: there's physical, and there's mental. Can you talk about if you talked to Drake about his football acumen? Has that improved from training camp through the beginning part of the season, which gives you more comfort in putting him in at this particular point in time?
JM: I would say Drake's a smart guy, and we saw that throughout the draft process. As far as understanding the offense, the language and just his overall football IQ, I think that continues to improve. I was actually pleasantly surprised. Even when he got here, it was never a question, 'Was he smart?' But I was pleasantly surprised, just his work ethic, out of this world, and studying the playbook and trying to get those reps. He continues to get better each and every day. Physically, look, this guy definitely gives us a chance to kind of get some of those off-schedule plays that you guys always see on TV.
Q: You said solely my decision. Does that mean that you kind of went to Alex Van Pelt and said, 'We're making the change, deal with it?' Or how did the process work?
JM: No, that's a great question. What I would say is I met with all the offensive coaches, and we had a conversation. Then we met together, AVP [Alex Van Pelt] and myself, and he was fully on board. Once again, it goes back to who gives us the best chance to win this week.
Q: So, was that prior to the decision being made, or did you say, 'Alex, we're close here?' Or had you had conversations leading up to the ultimate decision being made? 'We're close here. We might have to make this move.'
JM: Well, during training camp, at the end of training camp, we had those discussions on almost a daily basis. What do we want to do to open the season? I would also say, as the season continued to progress, we won the first game, and then the second game was a tight one. Then, obviously, you guys know what happened along the way. It wasn't a conversation where I was like, 'Alex, we're close.' For him as an offensive coordinator, for all the coordinators, they have to prepare to go out here and win the game. So, having those conversations during the regular season on a, let's say, a weekly basis, is really unrealistic. Now, with that being said, we had the conversation. He agreed with the move. You know, it's hard. It's a hard move. One thing I have learned about quarterbacks is it's a little different than any other position. So, what I would say is, we had the conversation, and both agreed that this was the right way.
Q: When did you tell the team, and how did that conversation go?
JM: I told the team this morning. Look, these guys are on social media and all that stuff as well. Like I said, we had a conversation with Jacoby and Drake the night prior [Monday night]. But I told the team this morning that in the same way that the full weight of the organization was behind Jacoby at the time, I expect the same thing, the full weight of the organization to be behind Drake no matter what.
Q: Did you have this date in mind for Drake Maye's debut as a starter, Jerod, or was the plan that you talked to us so much about, was that at all expedited?
JM: Look, I don't think it's a secret. Our offense hasn't been performing the way that we all hoped it would. So, to answer your question – ask the question again. I want to make sure I say this right.
Q: Was the plan expedited?
JM: No, I wouldn't say the plan was expedited. Again, the end of the training camp, he was trending up, and that never slowed down. So, at this point, he gives us the best chance to win.
Q: Jerod, a lot of people are saying that maybe the team around him isn't ideal for Drake with the offensive line and the state of the offense right now. What do you say to that?
JM: I mean, look, every team, even this early in the season, is still trying to figure out who they have, what they are as an organization and their identity. What I would say, look, we're good with Drake. Every team doesn't have a, let's say, a 'one' receiver or 'one' running back. They don't have those kinds of things, but I would say that Drake is going to make us a better football team today and going forward.
Q: Just following up on Phil's question for a moment. As far as why you decided now, you had the Dolphins last week, you have the Jaguars next week, and the Texans are one of the toughest teams in the league. Was there any consideration given to the opponent?
JM: I would say there's never a perfect time to make a change. Every defense that we play, whether it's the defensive ends or the defensive tackles, they all have the ability to rush and get after the quarterback. So, I don't think there's ever a perfect time. What I will say is this defense, we're familiar with the defense. We've seen it, and he's prepared for this defense as if he was the starter. I just felt like this was the right time to do it.
Q: Jerod, organizationally, was everyone on board, meaning Eliot [Wolf], so on and so forth?
JM: Eliot and ownership, all of us were on board with the change.
Q: Jerod, I wanted to ask, does this change Jacoby's status as a captain at all?
JM: Not at all. Not at all. I expressed that to Jacoby in our one-on-one that his leadership was not just what he did on the field, but also off the field. My expectation, and he agreed, was that he would continue to be a leader on our football team.
Q: Andrew [Callahan] did a story talking to Eliot Wolf before the season. Eliot said, 'We don't want to be in a situation where we're putting Drake Maye in, things don't go well, we don't like it, we're bringing him back out. With that said, is this a 'for good' type situation, like he's in there for good, and who's the backup?
JM: Look, right now, Drake Maye is our starter today and going forward, and Jacoby is our backup quarterback.
Q: Do you expect Drake to get 100% of the snaps? How do you expect that to work?
JM: He'll get most of the snaps.
Q: Were you disappointed at all that the news came out before you talked to the team?
JM: A little bit. Any type of decision that's a big decision, you want to let the team know first. But in saying that, look, these guys, they read everything, and you know, it's fine.
Q: Where have you seen Drake's biggest growth this season over the last five weeks?
JM: Just operating the huddle. I think it starts right there. Getting the call, getting in the huddle, getting out of the huddle, going out there and executing the play.
Q: How much, if at all, do you anticipate the offense changing with Drake at quarterback?
JM: I mean, it's hard to put a percentage on how much the offense will change. What I will say is we have core concepts that all of the quarterbacks have to know how to go out there and execute. With that being said, his athleticism definitely opens up more plays.
Q: You said you talked to the quarterbacks the night prior. Was it last night or Monday night?
JM: I talked to them [Monday] night.
Q: Because that was after it was already out on social media. They would've found out –
JM: Well, some of that stuff was assumption.
Q: From your perspective, from where he was to where you are now, going into this game, what do you like about Drake Maye as your starting quarterback?
JM: I would just say first, you can start with his arm and just his overall athleticism.
